“Here we go,” Harry said as the tension in the room increased by the second.
Rescuers used a battering ram to open the door and enter the building.
Five endless minutes passed before they got the word: Everyone was alive.
His friends shouted their excitement, and Harry danced a jig with Christina, who was in tears.
“Thank God,” Derek said as they watched the first of the children rush through the door and into the waiting arms of euphoric parents.
Nick wept as he watched the reunions of children and parents, aware of Fenty recording his reaction and not caring that the whole world would see him in tears over the happy conclusion to a horrific incident.
Archie gotthe news about Sam’s agent being shot from Sergeant Walters.He’d asked Walters to keep him in the loop about what was happening at work.He was shocked and scared for his friend after hearing that someone had taken a shot at her days after the thwarted drone attack.It was a relief to know the agent was expected to survive his injuries.
“Is everything okay?”Harlowe asked him.
She’d awakened from her nap while he checked his phone and saw the text from Walters.
“Yeah.”
“I can tell you’re upset about something.What is it?”
“Sam was shot at.A Secret Service agent was hit.”
“Oh no.Are they okay?”
“Sam is banged up.The agent was more seriously injured but is expected to survive.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes, it is.”
“I can’t believe someone would have the nerve to shoot at the first lady.It must be dangerous for her to do her job when everyone knows who she is.”
“It was always dangerous.It’s a thousand times more so now, but she’s determined to keep doing the work she loves while her husband is in office.”
“That’s admirable.”
“It is, but I worry about her.”
“You guys are close?”
“We’re friends.”He glanced at her and caught her watching him with eyes that seemed to see right through him.“Once upon a time, it was more than that, but that was brief.”
“Ah,” she said, smiling, “I see how it is.”
“We were never more than friends with benefits.She was hooked on the guy she’s now married to, although I didn’t know that at the time.I just knew she wasn’t available for anything more than what it was.”
“Is it hard to work with someone you used to be with?”
“Nah, we keep it real.We work together a lot, so there was no point in letting it get awkward.I consider her a good friend, and I know she feels the same about me.We both respect that the other is excellent at their job.”
“So you’re saying you’re excellent at your job?”
“It’s the one thing I’m truly good at.Sam would say the same thing about herself.It’s not just what we do.It’s who we are.We respect that in each other.”
“What exactly is it that you do?”
“My team investigates the digital side of cases—computers, phones, networks, video.That kind of thing.”
